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Drug Addict Reportedly Beaten to Death In Police-Run Detoxification Center in Guangdong Province

August 31, 2005

The parents of a 24-year-old addict who died in a Guangdong province drug detoxification center received an anonymous call indicating that their son had been beaten to death, according to South China Morning Post articles published on August 4 and 5. An autopsy reportedly supports the caller’s assertion. The addict's parents, both doctors, had admitted him to the facility. According to one man who was detained there, the Guangdong center had a reputation for irregular fatalities and had been ordered to improve its record. Key footage from a surveillance camera that had been installed to prevent abuses is apparently missing without explanation.

The parents of a 24-year-old addict who died in a Guangdong province drug detoxification center received an anonymous call indicating that their son had been beaten to death, according to South China Morning Post articles published on August 4 and 5. An autopsy reportedly supports the caller’s assertion. The addict's parents, both doctors, had admitted him to the facility. According to one man who was detained there, the Guangdong center had a reputation for irregular fatalities and had been ordered to improve its record. Key footage from a surveillance camera that had been installed to prevent abuses is apparently missing without explanation.

The Chinese government recently launched a major campaign to combat illegal drug use. Under administrative regulations, Chinese police have the power to commit drug users to forcible detoxification for three to six months without judicial review. Statistics published in a China Daily article on the drug detoxification system indicate that at the end of 2003, China had 583 compulsory drug detoxification centers, 151 detention centers, and more than 1,000 "voluntary" rehabilitation units. The relapse rate for forced detoxification detainees reportedly exceeds 90 percent. Officials may subject repeat drug offenders to longer terms of administrative punishment in re-education through labor centers.

The drug detoxification case resembles the 2003 case of Sun Zhigang, who was detained by mistake on suspicion of being an illegal migrant and beaten to death in a Guangzhou city detention center. Public anger over Sun’s death led to the repeal of administrative regulations that permitted police to forcibly detain vagrants, beggars, and unregistered migrants.